RBWords

     Jesus speaks these words in response to an accusation that his power to cast out demons comes from the devil!  He logically responds that the accusation doesn't make sense because it would be counterproductive to Satan!  It would be turning his kingdom against itself.  No, it is by the "finger of God" that he cast out demons and it was truly a sign of the kingdom of God and not the "kingdom" of Satan.  Nevertheless the words about a kingdom (or "house") divided against itself have caught the attention of generations of believers.  Abraham Lincoln, in one of his most famous speeches, used the image in regard to the issue of slavery.  On this feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the words of Jesus reminded me of a movement in my childhood that had, as its motto, "The family that prays together, stays together!"

     This movement had a decal that could be put in a window of the house or automobile that showed a family kneeling and praying the rosary together.  As a child I can remember going to my grandmother's house with my siblings to pray the rosary with her.   The rosary is a form of prayer that can bring Catholics together and, on occasion, other people as well.  The repetitious nature of the experience has its own comforting, calming and meditative effect, even if the particular "mystery" is not what one is thinking about!  At most of the parishes where I preach missions, the rosary is a feature of life and is recited either before or after Mass.  We Dominican friars wear a 15 decade rosary as part of our "habit."  (We haven't caught up to the extra five "decades" added by Bl. John Paul II!)

     Anything that can reduce division or polarization in a family, church or society is worthy of effort.  The rosary offers a familiar and effective way to bring about the kingdom, even if for only a few minutes!  That motto I quoted is worth remembering, "The family that prays together, stays together."   AMEN